Steal Your Affection
by UltimateDovahkiin
Summary: Nocturnal, the patron of thieves, was in love. The Night Mistress has her watchful eye on a High Elf Dovahkiin, and will go to any lengths to make Leina, her point of interest, fall in love with her. What will become of this twisted love story? Will Nocturnal truly get what she seeks in Leina? •This idea popped in my head late at night. Please give it a try!
1. Prologue

Love was usually not something you'd associate with the patron of theives. But there are always exceptions, and the Daedric Prince Nocturnal had found her highness in love with a mortal, or at least a mortal of Daedra standards. This mortal, however, was no average human. This was Leina; Dovakiin, slayer of Alduin World-Eater, Vampire Lord, Hero to Skyrim and all of Tamriel.

Nocturnal had observed several other Dragon-borns before. She always kept a watchful eye on them, seeking to claim whichever ones seemed fit of her blessing. She had found a few before, and they all proved their worth as excellent theives and assassins, but this one was different. She stood out to him for some reason, in a way that no mortal ever should.

But still, as impressive as this high-elf was, Nocturnal experienced what she thought was sorrow. Athough she wasn't sure, because no prince was ever sure of their emotions. He knew that Leina would never understand how she felt for her, and she knew that he could never share mortal love with her. She felt a deep rage of emotions inside of her vast soul, and couldn't begin to identify which ones she was feeling. She wanted to keep Leina, but was also slightly ashamed of feeling emotions toward her, or any emotions at all. She felt a strong desire burning for her, but yet also felt a confusion, not quite being able to pinpoint her feelings.

So Nocturnal did nothing, for if she acted she felt she would do the wrong thing. She instead watched Leina, studied her, every hour of every day; she looked over. In moments where it looked as if she were going to die, she would move something in her favor to keep her alive. She would not watch her suffer and die. She would never forgive herself if her soul were eternally cast into Sovngarde; far beyond her realm, where she could no longer watch over her, and where she would forever be a mortal; dead of a mortal's death.

Besides, what Daedric Prince feels mortal feelings for a mortal? It was all just too confusing, too aggravating, but yet also oh-so enjoyable. Nocturnal kept Leina close to her, watched over her and her choices. She could not interact with her like she deserved, so she came up with a plan to one day meet her, and they would fall in love, and Nocturnal could use her divine powers to make her a prince, as she rightfully deserved. But the timing had to be done just right, he had to find the perfect moment to enter her life.

And so Nocturnal waited, and watched, for the mortal Leina.


	2. A New Friend and a New Adventure

It was a bright, clear autumn morning in the Rift. The woods were teeming with game and insects, and the bodies of water were abundant in fish. Leina, however, found all this to be dizzying. The unbearable heat of the sun beat down upon her. All her skin was covered due to her armor, but the black coloring of the ebony made it hotter than without. Her vampiric blood boiled under the heat, and made her feel very sickly. She had set out into the woods to do some hunting, but quickly retreated back into her home Honeyside, and proceeded to take off her helmet. She set it down on the bed gently, and decided to cool off and buy a drink at the Bee and the Barb Inn.

Leina was slightly uncomfortable with the weight of her armor pulling down on her, but decided against changing out of it for the day. She did not have much to do before departing since she wasn't changing, so she grabbed a cowl from a chest beside her bed and set her helmet inside.

She flipped the cowl over her head and used the front door to leave. She locked the home behind her, as she always did. Although she may be a part of the Theives Guild, she is still the dragonborn, and anyone could try to take one of her many valuables strewn amongst her home. The walk to the Inn was very short, and thankfully no one tried to make conversation with her. As much as she appreciated a good talk with someone every now and then, she only enjoyed such conversation on her own time.

She opened up the back door to the Inn, where she found a mage sitting at the end of the bench next to the door. She had never noticed him before, but it was a possibility she had missed him.

He was an Imperial with brown hair and eyes. He was wearing some sort of mage garb of an orange hue. For although Leina was a high elf, she had never found herself to interested in magika arts. She didn't know the differences in mage robes or any magic-increasing attire.

They made eye contact, and he was not hesitant to speak.

"Why settle for just stabbing your foes when you can roast them alive in a gout of arcane fire?"

Leina stopped in her tracks, and lowered her cowl.

"Excuse me?"

"Why settle for a brave warrior or a fierce mage when you can have both? The name's Marcurio, mercenary for hire. I'll save your life for just five-hundred Septims; A small price to pay to keep your soul attached to your mortal body a while longer!" The orange-robed mage, Marcurio exclaimed. He was very outspoken, confident, but also annoying. Leina could tell this much just by hearing him speak a few lines. And, by the Gods, she could also tell she was falling for him-or his act.

She sat down next to him on the bench and offered her hand. "My name is Leina, Dovahkiin, slayer of Alduin, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Leader of the Companions, Legate of the Imperial Army, and few other titles around there somewhere."

Marcurio quickly shook her hand, stood, and bowed. "It is an honor to be in your presence, O revered Dragon-born."

He then leaned in close to her and looked around the room covertly, and whispered to her; "So is it true you are associated with the Dark Brotherhood?"

Leina leaned back, and felt a flash of memories fly before her. First she saw fire-fire everywhere. When she saw past the fire, she saw her friends slaughtered. She distinctly remembered Astrid, someone she had respected and trusted, not only had she betrayed her, but she forced Leina to kill her, with her own blade.

Never before had Leina felt guilt or sorrow after killing someone, until she felt the warm blood oozing from Astrid's body onto her hands. The sensation was accompanied by the slight splatter of blood on her face. The events of that night all took place too quickly, the memory can still wake her up at night in a cold sweat.

She managed to pull herself out of the string of memories quicker than usual, and she was met quickly by Marcurio's large, brown eyes. They were hungry for gossip, but yet curious and innocent.

Suddenly as she caught herself looking deep into his eyes, she became conscious of her bright yellow vampiric eyes and attempted to look away nonchalantly.

"Well, I guess you can find out while you travel with me." She stated.

Marcurio stood tall once again and beamed. "It is a pleasure to be in your service, Dovahkiin. I assure you, this will be the best five-hundred Septims-"

"Wait," Leina cut him off. "Let's buy a drink first, and make a toast."

Marcurio raised an eyebrow.

"Drinks on me."

With that, Marcurio waltzed over to the bar and sat down eagerly, but of course only after helping Leina up off the bench.

Leina paid for two tankards of honey brew mead, and the two of them raised the tankards.

"To many moons of loyal service," Leina said.

"To many moons of not dying," Marcurio added, and Leina laughed lightly.

They tapped tankards together and the precise moment the metals came into contact, all light sources in the tavern went out. Candles were put out and windows were blocked by curtains, thus the room was in plunged into darkness.

After the initial exclamations of surprise there were sounds of feet shuffling, and then a man screamed. Leina quickly lit a fire in her hands and the light from the fire illuminated the portrait of a masked figure right before her, with grey-ish skin and dark eyes. She yelped in surprise and the fire went back out. Before she could cast another spell, the lights all suddenly came back, and all was well again.

Except all wasn't well.

A gentleman seated at a table with his son was holding his bleeding hand, rocking back and forth in his chair. The blood soaked his robes and ran onto the table, and it looked like it wasn't going to stop. Leina ran over to him and grabbed his hand. She saw that one of his fingers was missing, undoubtedly the source of the wound. She shifted her hold from his hand to his wrist and began a healing spell.

The Nord male had openly expressed his disliking to her before, often making pro-Stormcloak comments whenever she walked by, and often spoke to other people of his disgust for the Imperials, her rank, and her race. But in this moment, when he was in unbearable pain and bleeding all over his expensive apparel, he didn't have much to say.

The people inside the tavern had all gathered around to see the magic take place, while Marcurio downed his tankard of mead and poured some from Leina's cup into his own. He sort of forgot in the past weeks of barely scraping by how much he really loved the taste of mead.

Just as Leina finished closing the wound on Vulwulf's hand-the man who was injured-Keerava let out a scream from the backdoor area of the tavern.

"Gods have no mercy! To hell with Nocturnal! To hell with Nocturnal!" her raspy voice exclaimed, shaky and faltering in and out.

The crowd in the tavern all migrated over to where she was standing, minus an injured Vulwulf, who was feeling harsh pain in his hand and pride. Leina strode over to Keerava and turned to whatever it was she was staring at, and found a bloody mess in front of her.

Before her were painted on the wall, in blood, the Theives Guild and Nightingale symbols.

Marcurio walked up beside her and she handed him a pouch of 500 gold peices. "I hope you're ready to go on your first adventure with the all-honorable Dovahkiin," She said to him over the frightened sobs of Keerava, who was crying into Talen-Jei's chest.

"Great! Let's go." Marcurio said.

"No...wait. I need to scope out the scene a little longer. This is all too confusing and out of the ordinary to me. We might find something that might clarify-" Leina said.

"My family jewel...it was on that finger...they stole the family ring!" Vulwulf exclaimed from the other side of the room.

"And that was the exact something we were searching for." Leina said with slight disbelief.

"Uncanny timing..." Marcurio said, slightly creeped out.

His son's face paled. "Father..." he ran over to him and they hugged, Vulwulf crying a little too excessively and his son more concerned for his father than the ring.

Leina tapped her foot on the floor and thought. "Marcurio, I need to change my armor, and then we can get started. Follow me."

"This is already the weirdest job I've taken yet." Marcurio said with a sigh and a tilt of the head.

Leina rolled her eyes and started jogging. "Relax. You're waiting outside."


	3. Returning to the Ratway

Leina lead Marcurio to her home, which wasn't far away, and made him wait outside the front door while she changed into her Nightingale armor. When she was done changing, she set her Ebony armor in the chest along with her helmet. She stood before a full-body sized mirror she had miraculously managed to steal. She had to sneak into her basement from nearly five miles away, where she stole it from a trade caravan.

It had been months since she'd visited the Guild, and with her last encounter, she found it harder and harder to visit them as time drew on. She hadn't worn her Nightingale Armor since then, either. Every guild or group she joined, someone died or something happened and she couldn't bring herself to go back. She can't remember the last time she'd accepted a contract from the Night Mother.

_Gods they must be backed up. Nazir's going to kill me. _She thought.

She had her gloves, boots, and armor on. She glanced at the table next to the mirror, and on it sat her hood, untouched, folded neatly, and with a thin film of dust lying over top of it. She grabbed it and waved it softly to remove the dust. She then began to nervously unfold it, and when that much was done she turned away from the mirror. She slipped the dark clothe over her head and adjusted her hair so that it didn't feel so awkward against her back. She sighed, and turned back to the mirror.

Leina was proud to be Guild Master, she truly was, but she felt guilty for leaving them, no, _abandoning_ them, and becoming Guild Master so quickly-just days before leaving. Some of those people had been honest thieves for years, and all she did was a few side jobs, some stabbing, some traitor-hunting, and some mystical stuff and then she was placed in a seat of reverence. It didn't feel justified to her.

And here she was standing in front of the mirror, and she saw herself. She saw herself at her best, supporting her friends-her family. The hood hid her entire face, but her eyes still shone their mystical yellow through the openings. The hood ran down into a cape that reached her mid-leg. The Nightingale apparel always gave her a certain aura that only the right outfit could. Although, of course, her armor was more than just 'the right outfit' she still knew it gave her the aura she wished she could carry with her as Dovahkiin.

But now they were calling her back home, she was sure that's why the attack took place. She wasn't sure what the intention toward her was, but she knew she had to respond.

With a heavy-hearted sigh and one last look, she ran back upstairs and out of the house.

She began locking the door, and she heard Marcurio inhale sharply.

She turned to him. "What? It's just me."

She turned back to the lock and he stood beside the door frame.

"What's your lead-and where are we going? I already feel underdressed."

She pulled the key out of the lock and smiled, although he couldn't see her facial expressions under her mask. "Tell me, Marcurio, have you ever been in the ratway?"

"By the Gods, no!" he exclaimed.

She didn't acknowledge him, but continued on. Leina began running down to the lower part of Riften, and Marcurio reluctantly followed.

She led him through the vacant docks to the Ratway entrance, and he was looking slightly pale. She probably would in other circumstances, but yet again the mask hid that.

The Ratway was mostly vacant of enemies or trouble-seekers, and if there were any still lurking along, they knew better than to get in her way. The cold, wet concrete chambers made their footsteps echo throughout the tunnel systems and sometimes straight back at them. Leina had stopped running by now, for she was in no hurry to get there and she figured she would not make Marcurio even more anxious by running all the time.

"Is that...a dead person? And, is that another one?" His face paled and he raised his hands as if he were about to cast a spell.

"You get used to it."

Finally, after a few tense minutes, Leina and Marcurio stood before the door of the Ragged Flagon, and had no other option but to go forward, since they had already ventured down here. Leina wasn't even sure if they'd let Marcurio walk around with her, considering he was a complete stranger to them. There was no other way to found out, besides pressing on. And so they did.

Leina walked into the Ragged Flagon, and within seconds met the eye contact of familiar faces from across the room. She took the seemingly long walk to the dining area, where she was instantly greeted by Delvin.

"Been awhile, eh? Have a few jobs for you, if you're interested..." he said, shaking her hand.

"No. Not now, anyways...where's Brynjolf?"

"He's out back...where he usually is. You've been gone too long. And who's this? A new recruit?"

"No." Marcurio said a little too quickly.

"He's...not quite interested, but still considering it. He's a friend of mine-" Leina turned to look at Marcurio. "I can trust him."

Delvin nodded. "Well, I suppose whatever goes with the Guild Master goes with me. I'll see you around."

He then left her alone, and she led Marcurio into the storage area of the Ragged Flagon.

"You trust me? Doesn't that seem a tad bit risky? Trusting someone you pay to be in your very company?" Marcurio said, once they were most likely to be out of earshot of the Guild members.

"When I handed you 500 gold pieces...I was telling you I trusted you with my life. And besides, when it comes down to it, I'd trust nearly anybody just because they know how deadly I am," Leina said with a smirk.

She then walked up to a cupboard and removed the false panel in the back, opening up the secret entrance to the entrance to the Cistern. She and Marcurio stepped through the new opening, and Leina set it back up behind them. She then walked the short distance to the Cistern door. Leina held her breath as she opened the door to the true home of the Theives Guild, and Marcurio rubbed the sweat from his palms on his tunic.


	4. A Night in the Guild

Brynjolf was standing in the middle of the circular room, a beam of light shining down on him and another figure, a woman in Nightingale armor. Leina removed her hood and Brynjolf waved to her.

Leina instructed Marcurio to wait where he stood, by the entrance, and she approached the two. The woman removed her hood to reveal the face of a Dark Elf, looking at Leina with complete admiration. The Dark elf had fairly light skin for her race, and large reddish-black eyes. Her black hair pulled back in a braid that reached her small of her back. Her face was very elfish, narrow and pointed.

Brynjolf didn't remove his hood, but pulled Leina into a one-armed hug as soon as he saw her. "It's been quite a while, lass. Begun to worry if you'd run out on us. I'm glad you're here now, though."

She couldn't see his face, but judging by the sound of his voice he seemed sick, and tired. He slouched slightly and looked like he had lost some muscle tissue, or maybe just gained weight.

Leina eyed him in search of any signs of sickness before she spoke. "Yes, I apologize for my absence. I hadn't meant to be gone for such a long time." _liar. _She thought to herself. "But Skyrim is a restless place, and there's only one of me to tackle it all."

"You should rest more often, you deserve it," Brynjolf said. She could imagine him smiling reassuringly to her under his mask.

"Thank you Brynjolf...the same to you," Leina said, casting him a maternal-type glare.

"Leina," the Dark Elf said, like she was holding her breath. Her voice was very Dunmer, despite her facial features.

Leina turned to her.

"It is an honor to finally meet you. I've heard and seen so many great things about your achievements. I am so very pleased that I have finally met you," the Dunmer-Nightingale said, bowing.

She stood and Leina dipped her head in acknowledgement.

There was a slight awkward silence, but Brynjolf quickly broke it.

"Ahem. Yes, Leina, this is Noctis, obviously, a nightingale. She showed up on our doorstep a few days previous, with an injured Karliah slung over her back," Brynjolf said.

"Karliah?!"

"It was certainly a surprise to us too," Brynjolf said bleakly.

"Um, Brynjolf, that wasn't a few days ago, that was just yesterday...about this time yesterday," Noctis said with slight worry.

"Ugh, sorry lass. I'm not feeling the best as of late. Been losing track of time," Brynjolf said.

Leina spent a few moments collecting her thoughts. "Brynjolf, I have a lot of things to discuss with you, including the actions of our guild taken as of late. But it needs to be somewhere slightly more...private."

"Sure thing, lass. We've got Karliah resting in the training room. You, Noctis, Karliah and myself can all talk back there. We've got some pretty big things to tell you about to."

Leina was glad Brynjolf had involved Karliah. In every encounter spent with Karliah, Leina had picked up that this woman knew what she was doing. Leina could go to her for wisdom and advice, she was very smart and could figure things out. She had also been through her fair share of hell, so she isn't the type to throw out pitiful remarks like 'just keep your head up, because the sky's nicer looking than the dirt!' She'd end up saying something more like. 'Dig your way through the dirt. Because life is full of challenges, and the only way to overcome them is to actually face them.'

Although Leina wasn't happy with Noctis joining them, she didn't have any room to argue since she had also brought Marcurio into the discussion.

Brynjolf and Leina walked side-by-side, with Marcurio and Noctis in tow.

Leina entered the training room first, finding Karliah tucked away in a corner on a cot.

Vex was sitting on the floor next to her, staring at the door. With the first sight of people she quickly got to her feet. "My shift's over already? Great."

As she passed the four of them she flung a bloody rag that landed on Bryjolf's shoulder.

Leina felt her mouth water at the sight of blood and bit down on her tongue. Her Vampiric urges were growing by the second. She began to feel extremely nervous, and couldn't even remember the last time she had fed. _Control yourself Leina._

The four of them sat beside the cot, and Leina scooted backwards a bit.

Karliah was lying on her back, in a pair of beggars' trousers and a wrap around her chest and stomach. There was blood soaked through the bandages, and they were in desperate need of changing.

"Can I try healing her with some of my magika? Marcurio and I could combine our efforts. We can't heal the entire wound but we can definitely lessen the pain and make it smaller," Leina offered.

"Sure, lass. Be my guest," Brynjolf said.

"Do you have anymore bandages though?" Leina asked as Marcurio stepped over Karliah, his back to a pile of hay bales.

"We sent Rune and Sapphire to get some more. They should be back pretty quick." Brynjolf stated.

Leina nodded. Noctis offered her a dagger and Leina used it to cut through the bandages. Once all the way cut through, Leina pulled them out from underneath Karliah's back and tossed them into a pile of other dirty linen sitting nearby. She set the dagger beside Karliah's hip, but the Noctis grabbed it and sheathed it back into her own sheath. Blood started pouring out of the wound, and she wrapped her cape around her face to hide the stench. She could have just put on her mask, but at the rate the blood was coming out, she wouldn't have enough time.

She and Marcurio both placed their hands a few inches overtop of the wound, fingers spread with their palms away from themselves. They both looked up at each other and nodded.

They summoned the healing spell, and bright yellow streaks of light flew from their fingertips and into the gash. Leina could feel the dizzizness that came with casting a spell, but kept her focus.

Brynjolf and Noctis both stood up and stepped back a bit, as to allow them some room.

Karliah groaned, probably feeling nauseous. Leina knew how she was feeling then, for she had been in that position before. She had to heal herself and drink countless potions when she was alone exploring dungeons or caves. And she didn't like going to a priest anyways, she didn't like depending on others or even admitting she needed help.

Leina shook away the thoughts of being alone, bleeding out, and trying to keep conscious to keep herself alive. She focused on the wound, despite the overwhelming scent of blood, and the dizziness she felt in her head.

She glanced up at Marcurio right as he passed out, the magic disappearing from him. He fell forward and Leina broke her spell as well. She caught him before her could land on Karliah, and she slung him over her shoulders.

She began walking towards a bale of hay to place him on when her knees buckled and she fell forward.

She landed with a thud, slipping out of consciousness for a few moments. Brynjolf had managed to grab Marcurio's wrist, so at least he wasn't going to wake up with a concussion.

"Well that was certainly interesting," Brynjolf said, dragging Marcurio by the wrists to the hay bale Leina had originally set off for.

Leina sat up, but didn't stand up, for the fear of being light headed and passing out again.

"We need to get her some more bandages..." Leina said, pointing to Karliah. Blood was streaming out of the wound, and onto the floor beside her.

Noctis ran over to a shelf where there was a full set of blood-stained Nightingale armor, along with the boots, hood, and gloves.

Noctis grabbed the hood and folded the cape in half.

She placed the hood over the wound and began quietly speaking.

Brynjolf and Leina both arched their necks to get a better view. Karliah was awake.

That night, Brynjolf refused to have the dicsussion Leina wanted. "You're ill, Karliah is slipping in and out of her right mind, your friend is ill, now that's three out of five. I don't want any decisions made by sick people. Those tend to not be very thorough. Rest up tonight, and we'll have it tomorrow when everyone's ready."

"Really? You're telling _me _to rest up? You're the one who's been walking around like a mindless draugr all day." Leina said bitterly.

Brynjolf placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm _fine._" He insisted.

Leina folded her arms and stuck out her hip.

"_Really. _I am really, really fine. Go and get some sleep Guild Master." He pushed her playfully and she fell back onto someone, _into _someone.

Leina looked up to see Noctis looking down on her with an arched eyebrow. Her arms were around her waist, and Leina's head was resting on her chest.

Leina quickly scurried to her feet and turned to face both of them. Her face was burning up and she looked away from Noctis.

Brynjolf began laughing, and Noctis scowled and marched up to him. "You will cease pushing her around." She stuck her pointer finger up to his nose and tapped the tip of it.

Brynjolf raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. It was just in good fun, lass. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"You'd better not."

Leina put a hand in between the two of them, her embarrassment turning more into annoyance.

"Alright, alright. There's no need for that, I can fend for myself. I'm going to bed-Brynjolf, I suggest you do to," Leina said, walking towards her bed.

Leina awoke in the small hours of the night, and glanced around the room. Everyone was asleep, or at least no one was walking about. She quickly snuck around the premise of the Cistern, looking to make sure every bed had a body in it.

When she had found everyone to be asleep, including Brynjolf, she quietly but quickly made her way to the secret entrance, where she began climbing the ladder.

"Where are you going?" Marcurio whispered. She let out a small yelp and fell backwards, and he caught her bridal-style.

She squirmed out of his hold, and was slightly surprised he could even carry her. She was at least half a foot taller than him, being an Altmer and all, and she was rather built. But nonetheless, she was annoyed of being in people's arms as of late.

"Um...nowhere. Stay here, and don't tell anyone I left," Leina said.

Marcurio threw his hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do while you're gone?" He hissed.

"Just go to bed and pretend like you never woke up. I don't know, just stay put and don't go looking through anything," Leina whispered. She then turned back to the ladder and scrambled away before he could say anything else.


	5. Vampire Lord Leina

Hello everyone! This has so far been my most successful story. I am so happy so many people enjoy it! Sorry to keep you waiting so long for this chapter, I was away from my computer for about four days so I had no way of updating. vnv I had to change the maturity rating on this fic for this chapter aha. Thank you so much for the reviews, I appreciate every single one of them. :D

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She was more than relieved to feel the night air against her face when she emerged from the secret tomb entrance. She moved the casket back and sprinted through the back alley leading to Riften's main entrance until she got to the front gates.

The guard gave her a quizzical look and she nodded at him. She exited Riften and headed straight to the stables. None of the stable masters were out at this hour, but she would return the horse before daylight. She hopped on the back of the nearest horse and urged it into a sprint. She rode through the Rift's forests, she heard the autumn leaves crunching under the horses' massive hooves, and felt the crisp air whipping past her face and stinging her cheeks and nose. She didn't exactly ride horses on a regular basis as a hobby or anything, but if she had to choose a favorite place to ride, it would be the Rift.

Then suddenly, a saber cat jumped out from a bush and leapt at them, just barely missing as the horse flew by. The animal gave chase and she turned the horse around, grabbing her mace from its sheath. She jumped off of the horse and ran at the beast, the saber cat stopped advancing and tensed up as if it were going to pounce.

Within moments of charging the cat, Leina was bringing the mace down into the side of its face, smashing its skull and killing it instantly. The beast fell with a thud, and blood poured out of the wound and onto the ground.

Leina crouched beside the corpse and sheathed her mace. The horse began walking back to its home, but she didn't mind, she had no further use of it. She took her index finger and middle finger and stuck them half way into the wound. When she pulled them out they were dripping blood, scarlet liquid encasing the top half of the two fingers. She then licked them clean, and smile stretching across her face as the familiar taste of blood entered her system.

She stood up and scanned the nearby woods. Not very far off in the distance she saw a faint flicker of light, and knew immediately it was a campfire. She knew these woods well, and there were no military camps in this area. The fire could only belong to one of two things-a bandit camp or a merchant caravan. Neither would be missed if they were suddenly to vanish.

Her body was aching to change, the Vampire Lord inside her was trying to tear its way out of her weak present body. She had held it back for this long, it was about time to let it out. She summoned the inner Vampiric powers within her and felt the transformation beginning. Her blood boiled and her muscles pushed at pulled at each other. She hunched over, her own muscles nearly crippling her, when suddenly every part of her body just let go.

She threw her head back and extended her newly-sprouted wings. She let out a roar, and it echoed throughout the woods. She wiped her tongue around her new canine-like teeth and cut it on the edges. The blood filled up her mouth and she couldn't help but to smile again. She opened up her wings again and flew towards the camp.

The trees whipped past her, and plants grabbed at her bare feet and ankles. She loved being in her vampire lord form, her muscles were all bigger, she was equipped with deadly teeth and claws, and she just in general was more threatening. She was free to do nearly anything she wanted to, no one knew who she truly was beneath the green-ish colored skin or massive fangs. No one really wanted to try and stop her, either, considering she also had nearly every advantage over them-muscle power, flight, and magic.

The camp was close now, and she spotted a sleeping bandit just a few feet away from her. She stopped in her tracks and landed. She scanned the scene, three sleeping bandits and a single bandit who was awake, but had his back to her. They were all wearing leather or fur armor, and their weapons consisted of iron and steel swords, and an archer.

_Too easy. _She thought.

She launched herself at the nearest sleeping bandit, sinking her fangs into his neck. His neck broke before he could react. She drew blood from the wound and turned to face the waking bandits.

She heard one scream, and the others all gasped. Despite their terror, they still charged.

"Burn it! Burn the vampire!" One shouted.

She mauled a sword-wielding bandit coming from her left, turned, and drained the life of another using her magic. She then flew over the campfire and mauled a female bandit several times, until she eventually tried running away, but died with a single swipe across her back.

An arrow lodged itself in her thigh, and with an angry roar she ripped it out. She turned to see an archer across the campsite who was shakily notching another arrow.

_"Come on Come on..!" _She heard him mumble nervously.

Leina grinned as he loosed another arrow, it darted by her face and just barely scratched her cheek.

He was nearly in tears now, she started advancing towards him. His shaky hands reached for another arrow.

Another arrow found its mark in her thigh. She stepped on the campfire, crushing the wood, sending embers flying. Her foot remained unharmed. She ripped the arrow out, and blood splattered out of her leg.

An arrow zoomed past her midsection. She was ten feet away now. He took a few steps back and grabbed another arrow. Nine feet, an arrow in her shoulder. He began pleading for his life. Seven feet. He dropped his bow and raised his hands in defeat. There were tears on his face now. Five feet. He threw his quiver on the ground. Three feet. He was backing up. Four feet. A rock managed to find its way under his feet. Two feet. He was on the ground, sobbing.

Leina stood over top of him. She roared in his face, and blood dripped from her cheek onto his face. She mauled him once, twice, he was dead. She mauled him again and again, until his face was nothing more than a fleshy, bloody mess. No one who knew him before would be able to recognize him.

She reverted back into her human form, and looted their camp. She found a chest that contained a bunch of low-level armor and some health potions. She scoffed at the armor and took the potions. She looted each bandit, finding nothing more than a few coins or gems on each. Before she returned back to Riften she grabbed a tankard from her inventory and collected some blood from the last bandit she killed. She raised the tankard as a toast to herself, and downed the contents of the tankard. She tossed it aside and set for Riften.


	6. What Happened Last Night

Ah! I'm really sorry about my absence! I tried to make this chapter a little longer to make up for it but I'm truly sorry! I literally have no excuse for not updating, just I was being lazy. :/ From here on out, I would get used to longer/later chapters. I'm going to not try to upload them at 3 a.m. anymore because that's when I tend to make mistakes. And I want to put more into my chapters, so they're more fun to read for you guys. ^w^ Alright, that's pretty much everything I wanted to say...hm. Oh! This chapter will have more action in it, but nothing like last chapter's. (Did you like that, by the way? I'm a hug fan of gore and action so just let me know if I should ease up on it.) Okay now I'm truly done, sorry I talk so much. :I

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Leina jogged nearly the entire distance back to Riften, and when she could see the roof tops of the guard towers she slowed to a walk. She rubbed at her mouth and chin to make sure there were no blood stains as she made her way up to the front gates. The same guard was standing in front of the gate, as expected, but her coming's and going's were so accustomed to by now they hardly cast her a second glance. After all, who's to judge where the dovahkiin goes and what she does?

Leina made her way to the Ratway, and the sun was already a fourth of the way into the sky by now. Someone said hello to her, but she didn't hear. She was late, and she knew for certain someone was missing her. She decided it was best to not keep them waiting any longer, so she ran the entire remaining distance to the Guild.

She opened the door to the Ragged Flagon with sweat glistening on her forehead. Marcurio stood up without flinching from where he sat in the dining area. He ran up to her and grabbed her wrists, fear evident on his face.

"Where have you been? By the nines I thought they were going to kill me I thought I was going to _die!_" He spit out the words at an impossible rate, not pausing to take a breath.

Leina wrenched herself from his tight grip. "_Unhand me! _What are you going on about?"

"They thought-I don't know what they were thinking! You were gone, and the leader-Bryn-Bryn something pointed his finger at _me_ and blamed _me_ and the next thing I knew they had me pinned up against the wall and were demanding answers I didn't have! I thought they were going to kill me!" Marcurio exclaimed.

"Come with me, I'll get this straightened out," Leina said, and headed towards the Cistern.

She didn't take two steps before he grabbed her leg.

"By the Nine-!" she began.

"Please don't make me go back there!" he blurted out, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Leina grabbed his arm and pulled him up onto his feet. "Get yourself together man! I've met a few Imperials in my day, and they are usually not _this _cowardly! You aren't going to _die, _I won't let that happen. And they'll be damned sure to pay for scaring you already!"

Marcurio brushed himself off and stood tall. "Fine. But then can we please move on to exploring ancient Nordic ruins or fighting dragons? I hate it here!"

Leina turned on her heel and glared at him eye-level. "We'll _leave _when I say we _leave_," she hissed.

Marcurio flinched slightly. Leina led them back into the Cistern, and Marcurio stuck a little closer to her side than necessary. Leina looked around for Brynjolf, who was standing over his desk, palms on the edges, studying a map.

Leina marched over to his desk and folded her arms. He didn't notice her.

"_Ahem. _Brynjolf." she said.

His head whipped up at the sound of her voice and he sighed. His hood was off now, and he looked sick, as she suspected he was.

"Lass, we were all so worried-"

His sentence was cut off by the ball of her foot, finding its way into his mouth.

He doubled over, cupping his mouth and staggering his feet.

Leina grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked his head upwards. His mouth and nose were bloodied, and she was pretty sure she knocked a tooth or two out. She raised her hand up to his face and healed the after-effects of her kick. She let go of his hair and lowered her hand when the healing was finished.

"Okay-what the hell was that about?" He said, clenching his fists.

"Do not-_ever again_ threaten my mercenary! It is an act of dishonor-you treat the dovahkiin and her property with respect!" Leina snapped.

"I'm not-!" Marcurio began in protest.

Leina whipped around so fast her cape wrapped itself around her body. "You _are _my property until your services are finished..! I _paid _five hundred spetims for you. Understand?"

Before he could reply she turned back to Brynjolf, just in time for his fist to make contact with her face. She staggered backwards onto Marcurio, who caught her and then summoned a fire bolt spell in his hand.

Leina quickly stood and pushed his hand back. "No! Do not attack."

Her nose was bleeding, and she healed herself while she and Brynjolf glared at eachother.

"Do not hit me, ever again."

"I didn't hit you, I kicked you."

Brynjolf scowled. At least now there was color back in his face, but that was soon to fade.

"Anyways. Now that that's taken care of, can we address the whole Karliah issue?" Leina asked, taking in a deep breath.

Brynjolf ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as well. "Yeah. The sooner we get that over with the better." He then began scanning the Cistern with a disapproving glare, until his eyes landed on Thrynn, who was walking past Brynjolf's desk.

"Thrynn! Aye, come here," he ordered quietly.

Thrynn half-jogged up to Brynjolf and Leina. He glimpsed at her curiously and then turned his attention back to Brynjolf. "Need something?"

"Yes I _need something_-go find Noctis, and send her to the training room. She's needed as soon as possible."

"I'll get right to it." And with that, Thrynn jogged away.

"Noctis is missing?" Leina asked.

"Yeah...we noticed shortly after we noticed you were missing," Brynjolf said bitterly.

"It's nice to know I'm appreciated enough to be noticed first."

Brynjolf scowled. "You're the one who's always leaving us...we've always been here-never left-always here for you."

Leina snorted. "It was a joke, Brynjolf. Lighten up."

"Sorry lass, you know I'm not exactly in the best condition right now."

Leina didn't say anything.

"So...where were you last night?" Brynjolf asked.

"Yeah...I would like to know this too," Marcurio chimed in with that usual sass of his.

"I was _nowhere_...at least, nowhere that concerns either of you two. Just doing something that had to be taken care of, is all."

Brynjolf groaned and sat on the edge of his desk. He propped his elbows up on his knees and rested his head in his hands, his red greasy hair hanging over his face. "Leina."

She walked up to him and knelt before him.

He didn't wait for her to say anything. "We need you. Ever since the whole Mercer incident...we've been shady, unstable. You can't keep walking out on us, you can't keep secrets from us...you can't keep secrets from _me._ It's only going to make us weaker. Do you understand?"

"Of course I do..." Leina said quietly. "It's just hard. I'll have your guy's backs for anything. It's just...I don't need you guys to have mine"

Brynjolf pulled himself into an upright sitting position, his hair moving out of his face. He looked tired and upset, and Leina knew she was the reason why. She wanted to help him, after all-he had been so kind to her, but the needs of Skyrim were far greater. And she just couldn't be fighting off dragons and running a Guild at the same time.

"I'm sorry." She said after a long moment of silence.

"No matter," Brynjolf said, standing up. "Let's go to the training room, and wait for Noctis there."

Brynjolf, Leina, and Marcurio all walked over to the training room and sat beside Karliah's cot.

She was conscious this time, and smiled upon seeing Marcurio and Leina. "I am truly grateful for what you two did, although I am still in pain, it is nothing compared to what I was previously experiencing. That night, when the bandit got me...the journey here was so difficult, I thought I was going to die. It is only by Lady Nocturnal's blessing that I somehow managed to survive."

There was a knock at the door. The three of them whisked their heads around to see Noctis standing in the door way, her fist held up to the door frame.

She shyly smiled. "You called for me?"

Brynjolf rose to his feet, a scowl on his face. "Yes, why were you gone in the first place? Where have you been?"

Noctis looked at Leina with worry, and Leina's heart skipped a beat. _Did she know about...no, there's no way. _

"I...I was um, just out, for a walk through the woods," Noctis said, averting her eyes to the floor and shuffling her feet.

Leina crinkled up her nose. _I swear on Auriel's Bow if this Dunmer knows my secret...I'll make sure it stays with her..._

Brynjolf looked like he'd just lost it. He marched up to her and leaned in close to her face. "I'll have you know _missy_...we here at the Guild don't take kindly to liars...if you're planning any funny business, I suggest you end it before we end it for you! _Got it_?!"

"Brynjolf." Leina said, rising to her feet. "That's enough. You're letting your temper get the best of you, leave the poor girl alone."

Brynjolf turned around and looked over at Leina, then back at Noctis, then Leina, and then back at Noctis. He seemed to make a decision and walked back to where he was previously standing next to Karliah's cot.

Noctis stood unsure in the doorway, and Leina waved her over to where they were all gathered.

"Alright, well, now that that's all situated out and everyone's here. Let's get started. But first, can we move this awful cot into the open more? I feel surrounded," Karliah said.

Brynjolf, Leina, and Noctis all grabbed onto the cot or Karliah in one way or another and awkwardly scoot-carried her out into the training room, not so much the middle of the room, but the sides around her were open. When she was properly situated and her cot fixed underneath her, the foursome sat down.

Karliah looked from Brynjolf to Noctis. "Where should we start?"

"Tell the story first, that way we can all brainstorm what to do from there," Noctis offered.

Karliah nodded. "Alright, well, shall I start from meeting you? Or the actual raid?"

"Start from when you met Noctis," Leina said.

Karliah shuffled a bit in her cot and tried to prop up, but when that was too painful Noctis took off her Nightingale hood and cape and folded them into a pillow. She placed them under Karliah's head and Karliah took in a deep breath. "Well..."


	7. Karliah and Noctis-an Adventure Begins

Wow, an update! I didn't know these things existed anymore! I'm sorry I failed to update in the promised time, but I have a legit excuse I swear.

Also, this chapter is about three times the size of my usual chapter. Enjoy~ :)

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Karliah removed her arrow from the corpse of an elk. She removed her quiver and placed the arrow inside. She sat beside the corpse and set the quiver next to her. She then pulled out a dagger and began the long process of skinning the animal.

The sun was setting; at this point it was halfway behind the horizon. The woods were quiet; the only sound that could be heard save the sound of Karliah skinning the animal was the sound of the wind rustling the few remaining autumn leaves. It was just like any normal day, any normal day for Karliah.

She heard the sound of footsteps, sloppy, rustled footsteps. Something injured. She whipped her head towards the direction of the noise and gripped her dagger.

A dark elf, who would later turn out to be Noctis, stumbled towards her. A crow flew around her and pecked at her nude body, and purple tinted streaks of light swam against her skin. The Dark elf looked tired; her hair was a mess, untamed and greasy. Her ribs poked through her skin and her eyes were wide like a frightened animal's.

Karliah figured she was rabid.

"Can you understand me?" Karliah said slowly and softly, careful not to trigger an attack if she was feral.

The dark elf blinked in response and sank to her knees. Tears began flowing down her cheeks and she clenched her fists. She placed her head on the ground, submitting herself to Karliah.

Karliah stood and stared at the scene before her. The Dunmer had a large tattoo on her back of the nightingale symbol. The tattoo practically consumed the top half of her back.

Karliah gasped and dropped her dagger. "Stand, child." She quickly removed her cloak and wrapped it around the Dunmer.

Grateful for some sort of clothing, the Dunmer gripped the cloak tightly and buried her nose in the fabric.

"Come, child. We must get you out of here," Karliah said, wrapping an arm around her.

She looked down at her kill with dismay. There was no way she'd be able to drag that thing behind them, but by the looks of her new guest, they were in desperate need of food. Making a quick decision, she unsheathed her sword and hacked off a leg of the deer. She slung her quiver over her back and wiped the blood off of her sword onto her pant leg. She sheathed her sword and dagger, grabbed the leg and gestured for the Dunmer to follow. She had a long journey ahead of her.

In most cases, Karliah would return to her home in the Twilight Sepulcher, but with a half-naked dark elf in a desperate need of basic necessities, she decided to shorten the journey and head to Markarth instead. She decided that since she was going to a place where food could easily be acquired, she decided to toss the last remaining piece of her kill. She was a little sad that the entire deer was going to waste as she threw the leg into the wilderness, but quickly forgot about it due to the more important matter at hand.

"Can you speak whatsoever? Or do you just not understand my language?" Karliah asked the Dunmer. "Do you have a name?"

The Dark Elf looked up at Karliah warily. "My name is Noctis." She stated.

"So you can understand me?" Karliah asked.

Noctis blinked slowly, and then nodded.

"Where do you come from Noctis? Where do you live?" Karliah asked her.

Noctis winced and shook her head slowly.

"Do you not have a home? Did you understand what I just asked you?" Karliah asked.

"No..." Noctis said, appearing very upset.

Karliah nodded. "Alright. I'll stop with the questions for now. Right now I'm going to take you to Markarth where we'll find you some clothes, food, water, and maybe find out just who you are. Does that sound okay?"

"Okay," Noctis said.

At this point they had found the road and began following it to Markarth. Karliah then realized that Noctis had no clothes and she was in Nightingale armor. They probably wouldn't even be let into the city in their condition. She had to figure out a way to get clothes before they arrived.

Just a minute later, by some stroke of luck, as they approached a bend a cart passed by them, with a man driving and two women dressed in finery seated in the back.

"H-Hey!" Karliah shouted in surprise, waving her arm.

One of the women glared at Karliah and then whispered something to the driver. The cart picked up speed and the women seated in the back turned their eyes away from them.

Karliah gritted her teeth. "Wait here," She instructed Noctis.

Karliah gripped her bow and gave chase. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and nocked it on the string. She raised the weapon and lined it carefully with her target. Her fingers leased the arrow and it soared through the air and into the back of the driver's head.

The two women screamed and ducked into the cart. Karliah was slightly pleased at the results of her shot, but the cart was still moving, since only the driver was dead and not the horse.

The cart began swerving off of the road, and the two women reached for the reins and began shouting nonsense at each other.

Karliah broke into a full-out sprint after the cart until she was close enough to jump onto it. She sheathed her sword and placed the handle between her teeth. She placed her bow into its old position on her back and pushed off of the ground as hard as she could. Her arms flailed as she reached for the back of the cart, but as it turned out she put a little too much power in her jump and didn't need to grab on to the back as anticipated. She landed in the very middle of the cart and decapitated the woman who had originally glared at her on the spot.

Karliah gripped the reins of the horse and turned it back around the way it came, all the while the last woman screaming bloody Oblivion in the back.

"By Nocturnal you are a noisy one aren't you?!" Karliah exclaimed, annoyed. She decapitated her as well, and then stopped the horse. She retrieved her arrow from the driver and stripped the women of their clothes. She called for Noctis, who quickly came running, and tossed her a set of clothes.

"Please tell me you at least know how to dress yourself," Karliah said apathetically.

"I can...work...it out," Noctis said, looking at the garments with slight confusion.

Karliah grabbed the other set of clothes and jumped off of the wagon. She quickly removed her nightingale armor and put on her newly acquired clothes. She checked on Nocits to find her thankfully with the bottom layer on, and struggling with the outer pieces.

Karliah put on those pieces for her, but all the while making sure she was watching so she would know how to put them on later.

"And that's the last time I'm dressing you. Can I have my cloak back now?" Karliah asked.

Noctis paused a moment and slowly took the cloak off, as if she was unsure of her actions, and then handed her the cloak.

Karliah took the cloak, put her armor into her inventory, and spent a few extra minutes hiding the bodies. Thankfully all the blood stains on their clothes were too minor to notice unless you were actually looking for them. The women and driver total had 640 Septums and carried a few other things like food and jewelry.

"Here, eat this," Karliah said, tossing Noctis some cheese.

Noctis wasn't able to catch the food but ate it in a heartbeat.

"At least you know how to eat," Karliah said, handing Noctis a halved loaf of bread.

Noctis ate all the food that the three travelers were carrying, minus a piece of bread Karliah tore off for herself.

Karliah unhitched the horse from the cart and hopped onto its back.

"Step onto the cart, and then sit on the horse behind me, like I am," Karliah instructed Noctis.

It took a little while, but eventually Noctis was seated behind Karliah. "Now wrap your arm around my waist and don't let go until I tell you to, understand?"

Noctis nodded warily, and Karliah gave the horse a quick kick. With a grunt it began trotting, and Noctis whimpered behind Karliah. Her arms tightened around her waist and she buried her face into her shoulder.

"We'll arrive at our destination within the hour. I should come up with a lie so we can pass as regular Dunmer," Karliah said.

Noctis didn't respond.

"Alright, well, if anyone asks. We're cousins. I've been living in Skyrim for a few years, and you just moved in with me a few months ago. You're still new to life in Skyrim and a little timid. How does that sound? Also, we should ditch out current names for now. Just to play it safe. I don't know hardly anything about you, but I can tell you that I sort of have a bad rep here in Skyrim."

Again, Noctis didn't say anything.

"Okay...well, your new name will be Averyn. Mine...mine will be Talithia. Let's see...we're going to have to explain the fine clothes and weapons. Our House specialized in forging weapons and hunting. We have inherited a lot of money from our elders because of it. Seem believable?" Karliah said.

Noctis didn't say anything.

"Noctis...are you listening to me? You need to pay attention if you don't want to get thrown in prison for being an illegal immigrant or stowaway. Us Dark Elves have it tough in Skyrim...Noctis...Noctis?"

Noctis lifted her head from where it was buried in Karliah's back and threw up over the side of the horse.

"Oh...my goodness...remind me to not let you eat so much again."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, Karliah contemplating her current situation. She would never have taken in Noctis if she didn't have the Nightingale symbol on her back. She owed it to Nocturnal to care for her. Besides, life was rather lonely, spending her days in the Twilight Sepulcher. It was rather nice to talk to someone who wasn't a shadow or spirit of a dead thief.

Noctis, however, had a rather vacant mind. She just focused on trying not to throw up again, and eventually the warmth of Karliah's body and the steady beat of the horse's hooves eased her into sleep. She didn't remember much, but she did remember and overpowering energy moving inside of her, and then a feeling of fright. She was exhausted, and felt safe here. For some reason, she knew she could trust this woman, and felt safe in her presence.

"Noctis, Noctis...er, Averyn...wake up. We need to ditch the horse, come on, time to get moving," Karliah said, rolling her back to try to shake her awake.

Noctis groaned and pulled herself into an upright position.

"Come on...cousin. We're going to rent a room at the Inn here and figure out what to do with you."

Karliah slid off the horse and assisted Noctis as she got off. Karliah removed the reins from the horse and tossed them off the side of the road. She turned the horse around to the way they came and slapped its flank. The horse whinnied and galloped into the woods.

"If that cart came from the city, we don't want the guards or stable masters recognizing the horse. It's bad enough we're wearing the clothes the women who were possibly from here were wearing...but it's better than Nightingale armor and a cloak," Karliah explained to Noctis.

Noctis slowly nodded, as if she were still thinking even when she said she understood.

Karliah eyed Noctis, and nodded in return. "Riiight...well, let's get moving. The sooner we figure out what to do with you, the better."

They walked for a few minutes before the watchtowers came into view, and Karliah eyed the silhouettes of the guards nervously. They walked a short time longer and the gate was clear before them. "Alright, from now on you will address me as Talithia, and I will call you Averyn. We are from house...Nelya...and we are looking for a place to stay while our home out South is being renovated...got it Averyn?" Karliah whispered.

"Yes." Noctis said.

Karliah was slightly relieved, but still unsure how well they could pull this off.

They approached the gates and one of the guards blocked their path.

"What are two Dark Elves doing here in Markarth? Your kind isn't exactly welcome here." The guard said, folding his arms.

"My cousin and I are just looking for a place to stay for a few days. Honestly, we want nothing more than to sleep, eat some food and drink our troubles away," Karliah said.

"Don't we all? Just don't cause any trouble, or I'll arrest you personally. You may proceed, _elf._" He stepped aside and the gates opened up before them.

Noctis had already felt intimidated before she entered the city. The metal and stone structures outside the city were unlike anything she had ever seen. They towered high above her head and had thick walls of pure rock. When the golden gates opened before her, she saw a city composed entirely of rock and metal. Steam and smoke climbed high into the sky from unknown sources and the lights of the city shown through the night sky like stars. The size of this place was unbelievable, she didn't realize that this many people could be gathered in the same place at once.

She whimpered and cowered behind Karliah, peeking out from behind her like a child. "Come now, cousin, act your age," Karliah said. Then it hit her, how old was she? She had nice skin, no blemishes or folds. She was probably in her teens or early twenties. Karliah grabbed her arm and pulled her out beside her, and didn't quite let go but loosened her grip as she led them to the inn.

The innkeeper did not look exactly happy to see them. But then again, maybe his scowl was simply brought on by the woman who was nagging a few feet away from him.

"I refuse to sweep, I swept yesterday!" she said.

"Today was Hroki's turn but you know the poor girl is sick and in bed. Look's like you'll have to make do and sweep again," the innkeeper said. His aged face was given even more definition by the fact that he looked as if he were about to hurt somebody.

The woman looked as if she were about to protest, but his expression changed and he began speaking before she could.

"Look, customers!" He ran out from behind the bar and shook Karliah's hand. He reached for Noctis's but she quickly jumped back a little and tucked her hands behind her back. He eyed her suspiciously but didn't dwell on it.

"What do you two ladies need? Food? Drink? Bed? We've got it all! The name's Klepper and that's my lovely wife Frabbi. We'd be happy to assist you two!" He said, surprisingly cheery versus his previous attitude.

"He means _he'd _be happy to assist you." She walked up to Karliah and placed her face mere inch before Karliah's, looking at her with disgust. "I have no intent to serve a coal-colored maggot." She stormed away, into some back room.

Klepper took a deep sigh and rubbed his hands awkwardly on his pant legs. "Apologies. Times are tough, and Frabbi has never really been pleasant. I'll get you both a free tankard of mead, on the house. Come, sit at the bar. You two look like you could use some rest."

Karliah motioned towards the stools on the other side of the room, and she and Noctis sat on them.

Klepper poured a promised tankard of Nord mead for both of them, and Karliah took the drink gratefully. Noctis, however, was a little slow to enjoy her drink. When she finally did take a sip, she made a very distasteful expression and set it down quickly.

He grunted as he took Karliah's empty tankard and began cleaning it out. "Not a big fan of Nord alcohol? Thought the elves were supposed to have the stronger drinks."

"We do." Karliah said quickly. "Her parents didn't like their youngest daughter drinking, so they made sure my cousin Averyn here never did."

"That's just a shame. Anyways, what was your original intent on coming into my inn in the first place? It's pretty late...looking for a room?"

"Yes," Karliah said. "For...a few days actually. We can share one, but we'll need to stay here for a five days while our home gets remodeled."

"It'll be twenty gold per night, and I'll pull a cot into your room since each room only has one bed. I'll need one-hundred gold upfront," Klepper said.

Karliah gave him the currency and he swept the coins into his apron pocket. It was a wonder the apron didn't weigh him down with all the metal in his pocket. "I'll show you right to your room."

Klepper led them to their room, a narrow room with one bed, and a desk and chair. When they were both in the room he shut the door rather harshly behind them and walked away.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the cot. It's just a shame the first bed you'll ever sleep on is made out of rock," Karliah said quietly.

"Why are you talking so lowly?" Noctis asked, but practically blurted out.

"_Because," _hissed. "We don't want anyone to hear us. We need to maintain our cover for as long as possible. Tomorrow, we're going to talk to a friend of the Guild, Endon. He doesn't know about the Guild's influence with the Nightingales, but right now we have no other option. We'll need to talk to him without looking suspicious, so I'll think over that tonight. I dearly hope that the Night Mistress shows us her kindness over these next few days. Or at least some luck, that would be nice too."

"Okay," Noctis simply said, blank-faced.

Karliah snorted and shook her head. There was a knock outside their door, it was Klepper with a cot. He tossed it onto the floor and shut the door.

Karliah set up the cot and motioned to the bed. "Go on, get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"And that was just the beginning," Karliah said, taking a deep breath.

Brynjolf sat up, alert and energized. "Go on, what happens next?"

"Patience, young Brynjolf. You were always easily excited. When I thought things started going well-Noctis became more adapted to life among other humans, and I felt a strong calling to have Noctis live with me, in the Sepulcher-things began changing. And not in a bad way-but also not in a good way."

"Well, what happened?" Leina asked. "We still don't know how you got hurt. Who is Noctis and where did she come from?"

Karliah smiled. "I don't know. But-"


End file.
